


Amethyst Character Study

by coolkid_ko



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Character Study, Drama, Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:45:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7727449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolkid_ko/pseuds/coolkid_ko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amethyst fights a tree.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Amethyst Character Study

**Author's Note:**

> I’m trying to kick myself in the butt and write more. I couldn’t really think of anything to write but I’ve been roleplaying Amethyst a lot lately and thought I’d play with her character a little. This takes place around the time of the episode “Beta.”

The summer sun beat down on the earth as Amethyst padded across the yard, dry grass crunching beneath her boots. She could still hear the music Peridot and Lapis were playing in the barn, but faintly, and it grew fainter the further she walked. She was happy to see Steven and the others having fun, but the thought of being idle made her insides curl.

She had more important things to worry about. Jasper was still out there.

Reaching the crest of the hill the barn sat on, she stared across the horizon. The sun was just above her, hiding the shadows, and a warm breeze ruffled her hair, whistling through the grass. Dandelion seeds drifted past her.

She closed her eyes and pulled two whips from her gem, one for each hand. She braced herself and jumped forward, curling into a ball and spinning down the hill. A purple aura flickered around her as she gained speed, the thorns of her whip digging into the dry ground and leaving puncture marks as she zipped by, shredding the wildflowers unfortunate enough to get in her way. With an aggressive yell, she smashed into a tree at the bottom of the hill. A fissure ripped almost halfway through the sturdy trunk, but the tree did not budge.

In a fluid motion, she jumped out of her ball and lashed one whip out toward a low branch, encircling it. She pulled the whip taunt and swung around the trunk, launching herself to a nearby branch. Flicking the other whip, she wrapped it around the trunk and yanked backward as hard as she could, determined to bring the tree down.

It creaked against her strength, but remained motionless. Frustrated, Amethyst swung herself around again, launching herself back at the trunk and bearing down on it hard with her feet. She fell to the ground but quickly righted herself, staring up at the tree before her. A few leaves had been shaken from their branches, but the tree still stood strong.

No matter what she did, it seemed, she couldn’t get the tree to fall. Crashing into it again and again, pulling from every side, kicking and punching, nothing seemed to work. Screaming in frustration, she curled inward and shapeshifted, doubling in size and muscle as she became the Purple Puma. Clasping her fists together, she slammed against the trunk of the tree and cracked it further. She hit it again and again, grunting louder with each swing.

But it all proved ineffective. _Smash!_ Her anxiety heightened with each swing. _Smash!_ No matter how hard she trained _(Smash!)_ , no matter how much she prepared herself _(Smash!)_ no matter what _(Smash!)_ she _(Smash!)_ did _(Smash!),_ she’d never be strong enough. She’d always be too small, too weak, too useless.

With one final wail, her hands crashed against the hard wood, sending a crack completely through the trunk. It wavered, but did not fall.

Amethyst collapsed to the ground, returning to her typical form. She sat on her knees and looked up at the tree’s canopy, closing her eyes as leaves landed gently on her face. Despite the abuse it’d been through, it still stood tall, as if she’d done nothing.

Desperate tears stung her eyes. Could she do anything right? Why did she have to be this way? She closed her eyes, lowering her chin to her chest, and scrubbed at her face with her forearm. Jasper had been right all along. She was just an overcooked runt, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She sat at the foot of the tree until the sun slipped past it, lengthening the shadows beneath her. She listened to birds flit by, chattering among themselves. She watched a squirrel zip across the ground, up the tree and into the high branches, disappearing behind the leaves. It seemed unfair, almost. Her world felt so frozen, but Earth kept turning without her. She felt heavy, weighted by the burden of her inadequacy, it no one seemed to notice or care. She felt unnecessary.

Scowling, she got to her feet and brushed the dirt off her knees. She looked at the tree again, and narrowed her eyes further.

I can’t even beat a stupid tree, she thought, and gave it one more firm kick. It wavered again, rumbling under its heavy weight, and began to sway. Amethyst looked up and took a cautious step back as the tree began to lean dangerously away from her, creaking with the effort to stay upright. Its fight, however, was fruitless, and with a loud groan the tree fell to the ground, landing with an earth-shaking crash.

Birds fled in terror. Amethyst stood in stunned silence. She heard shuffling in the distance.

“Amethyst! Are you okay?!”

She looked over her shoulder and spotted Steven at the top of the hill, Peridot and Lapis in tow. Glancing back at the felled tree, she scratched the back of her neck.

“Uhhh, yeah!” She called back, “I’m fine!”

“Well get back up here!” Peridot hollered. “You missed my harmonica solo!”

Amethyst turned to face the tree again, studying it quietly. She ran her fingers over the ragged edges of the stump, her gaze trailing from root to tip. Her mouth hung open in silent awe.

_“AMETHYST!”_ Peridot screeched.  

“Coming!” Heading back up the hill, Amethyst turned to face the tree once more. She smiled, then turned and joined her friends again. 


End file.
